Sunday, 23 December 2012

DEMETRIUS DAVIS: REMEMBERING A WORLD LEAGUE STAR

Demetrius Davis began
his pro football career as Mr. Irrelevant, the last guy taken in the
1990 NFL Draft, by the Oakland Raiders, out of Nevada. He came along
about 15 years too soon: a basketball-first, 6-4 220lb tight end, he
would have fit in better with today's passing games. As it was, he
never played a down in the NFL, but he had a great run in the World
League of American Football, aka NFL Europe, with the Barcelona
Dragons, playing in 1991 and 92, and then coming back for two seasons
in 1995 when the league was reborn. Not only was he a fine player,
the tight end when I picked my all-time NFLE team when the league
finally shut down for good in 2007, but he was also one of my
favourite players to talk to. The great thing about covering the
league was the openness; you could approach players and coaches, film
during practices, and get some fairly straight poop if they trusted
you. Players who played multiple seasons recognised you, like you
were part of a club, and most of those kind of players were back in
the league not just because they were good players, maybe great AAA
level players, but also because their coaches saw them as positive
influences.

That's the way Jack
Bicknell saw Demetrius. He was constantly bringing back players, and
guys like Eric Lindstrom, Tyree Davis, Eric Naposki all told me they
would not have come back were it not for him. Although good attitude
couldn't win a league title for you, leadership and team spirit could
really help, and the reality was just a couple of bad apples could
kill a season stone dead. In a league where some people were assigned
by teams with the understanding they would get playing time, where
you had to put a new team together each season, and keep them happy
for ten weeks in what for most of them was terra incognito, playing
for not much money, sharing rooms, and eating the same meals over and
over again, guys like Demetrius, who were fighting to keep their
football dream alive, playing in part for the love of the game, and
willing to do what it took to make the experience work stood out. It was no
coincidence that these players were great interviews; Demetrius was
probably the best, honest, smart, and above all funny. He projected
warmth that is rare to encounter in those situations.

Demetrius was clearly
one of the league's best players in 1991, when the Dragons went all
the way to the World Bowl, which they lost to the Monarchs before
61,000 fans at Wembley. He was quick, ran routes precisely, had great
hands, and was a very good blocker. But at 225 he was just too small
to play tight end in the NFL. Ten years later, he might have had the
kind of career Bryan Fletcher had with the Bears and Colts. When he
came back in 1995-6 he had obviously built himself up, but it
affected his quickness, and in retrospect I now wonder if it might
have had some bearing on the burst heart that took his life a week
ago after a pick-up basketball game. He was realistic in '96 that it
was his final go-around; his knees would not get better, he needed to
give it one last shot and then get on with his life. I regretted that
he hadn't stayed around for one more season; the 1997 Dragons, led by
Jon Kitna, and with probably the best trio of receivers the league
ever saw (Alfonso Browning, Shedrick Wilson, and the return of Tyree
Davis) would have been perfect for him, and of course that was the
year the Dragons won the World Bowl. Their tight end, Bryce Burnett,
was another returning player, very similar to the 1991 Demetrius,
though not as talented.

I have to admit I was
shocked to hear of his death. He was only 46; he'd been working on
workman comp claims. His cousin, CC Sabathia, the Yankees' pitcher,
was apparently going to take care of his funeral expenses. Chris
Ault, Davis' coach at Nevada, who still coaches there, sent along his
number 88 jersey. Ault was credited by Davis' Nevada teammate and
best friend, Lucky Witherspoon, for helping to keep teammates
together, and I find that encouraging as I sometimes ponder what
football means to me and what the sport is about. It's sad that there
is no NFL Europe, so sad that there are no longer any Barcelona
Dragons to send another jersey along.

One of the thing I
loved about the World League/NFL Europe was following the progress of
the guys I met into what they called 'the league', and sometimes
elsewhere (Canada, Arena). It was a chance for lots of us to find
niches in the game, and make a living doing something we loved. But I
often failed to follow what happened after football, after dreams
dried up, and the 'real' world took over. I don't flatter myself to
think I knew Demetrius well, but from what I did know of him, I'm
sure he made the most of what the world presented him.

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